Women‐only networks as a strategy for change? A case study from local government

Across both the private and public sectors one strategy that has been used to support women in leadership roles and to increase women's participation in leadership positions has been to establish formal female specific networks. This paper examines the efficacy of such a strategy through a case study of one such group – the Australian Local Government Women's Association. Data for the paper are drawn from interviews with the 19 female mayors in the Australian state of Queensland. Participants were divided in their views about the organization. One group expressed support for women's networking, a second group was critical of women organizing in such a way and a third group expressed ambivalence about the value of women's networks. This paper draws on these views to assess the transformative potential of women's networks. It concludes that women‐only networks have a valuable role to play in securing greater equity for women in management.